Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
‘I need a drink,’ Elara murmured to herself, feeling off-kilter. She had let her emotions control her; had acted upon them, with no kind of plan. And now here she was, surrounded by Stars, enemies lurking around every corner.
The Stars’ various charms cloyed around her, and nothing steadied Elara’s nerves more readily than a glass of sparkling honeywine. She made her way to the bar, past bustling guests and loud, guffawing courtiers, ignoring the dread mounting with every passing minute.
She joined the crowd at the bar, leaning her forearms on the cool marble as she tried to steady her breath.
‘Well, well, well. Don’t you look delicious?’
Elara would have cursed the Stars if it wasn’t for the one just behind her. She turned slowly, gritting her teeth.
‘Hello, Leyon.’ She smiled.
The Star was resplendent. A shimmering suit, tailored meticulously, clung to him, his blonde hair like spun gold, the familiar circlet resting on his head. A mask to match his circlet graced the top half of his face, leaving his full lips the centre of attention. Elara had a suspicion it was a purposeful choice. Leyon tweaked a golden cuff ring as he propped himself beside her, his shoulder jostling with hers.
‘It seems you haven’t found your way to my temple after I so graciously extended my express invitation.’ His voice was like silk, like a song, and his charm imbued the same emotion one felt when looking at an exquisite piece of art.
‘I’m afraid I’m useless with directions,’ she said breezily, trying to catch the eye of the tender behind the bar.
Leyon chuckled. ‘You know, I think you’re the first mortal who has declined.’ He bent close to her ear. ‘Which makes you all the more intriguing.’
Elara tried not to roll her eyes. Leyon waved a hand through the air. ‘Though I can’t decide if you’re brave or stupid, to have walked in here so baldly.’
‘Let’s decide on the former,’ Elara replied. ‘You haven’t seen your illustrious brother, have you?’ She glanced around.
Leyon shrugged. ‘The last I saw, he was disappearing with some pretty brunette, and the new king.’
Pretty brunette. Sofia? ‘Where?’ Elara demanded.
‘I neither know nor care,’ Leyon sighed. ‘But let me share a gem of wisdom. My parting gift to you.’ He leaned closer, and the usual bored and arrogant expression was replaced with earnestness. ‘My brother is the god of war. When you think you are a step ahead of him, he is usually already three in front. Elara, beware that you do not play right into his hands.’ He pulled back. ‘It would be a shame for Celestia to be rid of such a beauty.’
The Star kissed her hand, leaving an imprint that felt like poetry as he disappeared through the crowd. Elara turned around to watch him leave and caught the burning gaze of Enzo staring right at the space where Leyon had been. She started towards him, but behind her the bartender suddenly asked, ‘Drink, madam?’
She paused. She could really use something to relax her a little.
‘One honeywine, please,’ she said to him.
As she waited, Elara tried to gather her composure. Three Stars in the space of an hour. Thank the skies Leyon was, if not on her side, at least not on Ariete’s. The bartender returned with a full goblet and she sighed in relief. As he passed it to her, a tanned hand extended from behind her, signalling to the man.
‘I’ll take one too,’ a smooth voice intoned. ‘A gorgeous woman can’t be drinking alone.’
The stranger smiled. He had deep blue hair that fell to his shoulders, and eyes a brilliant blue-green, like the sea in Helios when the Light was at its highest point in the sky. He wore a mask fashioned around his eyes in cresting waves. His open shirt below showed a glimpse of an octopus tentacle tattooed over his tanned chest. And the hat perched upon his head was a tricorn. Even with the mask on, Elara could see that there was an openness in his eyes, a kindness. And most importantly, he was mortal. She smiled.
‘And who might my drinking companion be?’ She raised hers to his and took a sip. The honeywine fizzed on her mouth, tasting deliciously sweet and instantly putting her at ease.
‘Oh, just a man who saw a poor woman in Leyon’s grasp,’ he mock-whispered. ‘I meant to save you. But it appears you didn’t need it after all.’ He clinked her glass with his own, his eyes twinkling.
‘Lord Adrian—from Neptuna, if you couldn’t tell.’ He winked, gesturing to his hair. Elara found herself laughing at the ease of his energy, buoyant after so many weeks of intensity in Helios. There was something familiar about him, his voice, his appearance. She racked her brains about what she knew of the Kingdom of Neptuna—her mother always spoke with fondness of the place. The two kingdoms had been close. They’d been the only one to try to stand with Asteria when the War of Darkness had begun. Idris of course had soon put a stop to that.
‘My pleasure,’ she beamed, extending a hand to him which he kissed. ‘I’m Nova,’ she said.
‘Nova,’ he said, savouring the name. ‘At the risk of coming off as strong as that Star, may I have this dance?’
Elara nodded, swallowing the last of her bubbles down. She welcomed the fuzzy feeling for a blissful moment before responsibility crashed down upon her. Sofia. She had to find Sofia.
Adrian took her hand, and she stilled again. He looked to her quizzically.
‘I’m sorry,’ she laughed, allowing his hand to hold her waist as they began to dance. ‘Have we met before?’
Adrian frowned as a violin played a dramatic and tense ballad. Trumpet notes cascaded in accompaniment, his hand soft in hers.
‘I don’t believe so. I’m sure I’d remember someone like you.’
She laughed her feeling of unease away as they moved around the room. ‘So tell me, Lord Adrian,’ she asked, ‘was Neptuna thrilled with the news of the coronation?’
He snorted. ‘You mean the crowning of the puppet king? My family loved the Bellereves. And I can’t say the courtiers in Neptuna are pleased with the way the new king ascended his throne. We all know of Ariete’s intervention. We all know of the lost princess who survived his divinitas .’
Elara bit her tongue against the wealth of emotions threatening to spill. Down you go , she commanded them.
‘As an Asterian, the change surprised me too. As did the news of Princess Elara. Has there been any word as to where she escaped?’
Adrian shrugged. ‘Some rumours say she fled to Neptuna, though I certainly haven’t seen a shadow princess around. Others think she may have crossed the Olympian Ocean and is hiding on the other continent.’
Elara nodded, her chest easing. ‘Have you seen the new king tonight?’ she asked.
‘Only at his coronation. Of course, Ariete was in attendance, too. But since the moment the procession returned here, I haven’t seen either of them. There was a woman at the coronation who was causing a fuss, and the moment the palace gates opened, they disappeared with her.’
Elara’s stomach plummeted. That had to be Sofia. Her train of thought petered as out of the corner of her eye, Elara saw a flash of honey and rose gold spin past. Elara’s attention caught on the woman who had brushed past her. She was breathtaking. Beauty, eye-watering beauty dripped off her as she danced. Her hair fell in honey brown curls to her waist, laced with pearls, dove-roses and swan feathers. Her skin was an olive brown hue which glowed, made richer by the deep mauve ballgown that accentuated curves only a goddess could be born with. Elara saw a flicker of smoky jade as the Star arrested her with her eyes, before Elara caught on who was whispering in the Star’s ear, a disarming grin on his face.
Enzo.
As though feeling her stare, he raised his eyes, gaze locked on her as he continued to whisper in the goddess’s ear. Though she wasn’t just any Star, not as a charm so intoxicating, so heavenly, drifted through the room, stopping all who encountered it in their tracks. Not as Elara realized she had seen the Star’s face rendered in statues and paintings throughout her lands.
‘Is that Torra?’ Adrian muttered behind her in awe.
Indeed it was. The goddess of lust and earthly pleasure herself. Elara felt a sharp lurch of jealousy as the goddess turned back to Enzo, laughing at whatever he was whispering.
Why did she even care? They were allies, nothing more. And most men thought with their cocks, didn’t they? Enzo was just that, a man—one as susceptible to Torra’s charm as any other. She bit her cheek, willing the anger rippling through her to calm. Casting him a dry smile, she turned back to Adrian, flicking her hair behind her as she allowed him to spin her.
‘Who is she dancing with?’ Adrian asked, following where her gaze had been.
She glanced over again then gave a nonchalant shrug as she placed both arms around his neck. ‘Haven’t the faintest.’
Adrian’s hands slid to her waist as Torra’s magick snaked around them. A curl of pleasure sat low in Elara’s stomach.
The music slowed, as the band too were taken by the goddess’s charm. Every couple around her drew closer to each other, as the lights dimmed.
‘So, Ariete,’ Elara continued, trying to blink away the magick overcoming her, ‘and the new king. You haven’t any idea where they went?’ She tried to keep the desperation out of her voice as Adrian’s hands trailed back up, grazing the sides of her breasts.
‘The last I saw them, they were heading towards a huge set of doors inlaid with two draguns. Does that help?’
The throne room. Elara’s pulse quickened as she nodded absent-mindedly.
Adrian’s eyes had darkened, and he wet his lips as he gazed at hers. ‘You rival Torra with your beauty,’ he murmured as he leaned in to her, their dancing slowing. He smelled like the ocean—of sea salt and driftwood. But Elara only craved one scent as charm seeped into her veins, warm amber.
‘Careful you don’t bring the strike of divinitas ,’ Elara purred. Adrian chuckled, low and rough, and that curl of pleasure twined inside her. She let Torra’s charm whisper in her ear, encouraging her to act upon her desires, to sate herself in any way she could, with anyone she could.
Adrian’s mouth tipped down towards hers, and her lips parted, eyes fluttering shut. And then two hands grabbed her waist and yanked her out of his grasp. Enzo gave a saccharine smile to Adrian.
‘Sorry to interrupt,’ he said, ‘but the lady’s next dance is with me.’
Adrian’s eyes narrowed. ‘We were—’
‘Finished,’ Enzo said, pulling Elara away.
‘Alec,’ she gritted out.
‘ Nova ,’ he replied evenly.
But something dangerous glittered in his gaze, enough of a warning that she turned back to Adrian. ‘It’s been a pleasure,’ she said.
‘No, that was all mine,’ he replied, kissing her hand. ‘I got to dance with the most beautiful girl in the room.’ He winked, then turned away, heading off into the crowd of nearby dancers.
Enzo’s smile dropped, and Elara whirled on him.
‘What are you doing?’ she hissed.
He pulled her in tightly to him, and her breath hitched at the closeness in which he held her as they danced, much different from before.
‘Smile and listen,’ he said through gritted teeth as they began to waltz again, muscle memory taking over. ‘I thought you wanted to find Sofia. Not flirt with Stars or gallivant with snakes.’
Elara sputtered with indignation. ‘I do. And Lord Adrian was no snake. He was a gentleman. Someone you could learn some manners from.’
‘ Pirate Lord Adrian,’ Enzo corrected with a growl. ‘And even if he was a gentleman, is that what you want? A wet blanket to keep you cool at night?’ Flames danced in his eyes.
‘Well, whether a pirate or a wet blanket, both are certainly better choices than a man with no manners or grace, who spends his nights taking his pick of pretty girls every time I see him,’ she spat.
‘Pretty girl? Is that what you’d call Torra?’ He snorted.
Elara shoved away from him, couldn’t stand the feeling crawling over her, nor the charm fuddling her thoughts.
‘You’re right, she’s a goddess. One who latches on to men who have no self-control, like you.’
Enzo’s scowl cleared as he observed her. His hand gripped tighter on her waist. ‘I was trying to read her with my power, see if she knew where Ariete was. Are you jealous ?’
She tried to turn, to get away from him as terrible, wanting heat crawled up her throat. But a hand whipped out, wrapping around her wrist.
‘Jealous?’ Elara threw back her head and laughed indignantly. ‘Why would I be jealous?’
He continued to smile back, and the sheer arrogance of it made her want to wipe it off his face.
‘You’re angry with me for flirting with a goddess, when you were stood awfully close to Leyon only a short time ago. Tell me, how many times did he try to fuck you with his eyes as you spoke? Did that charm you, princess?’
‘What would you care if it did?’ She smiled sweetly.
His face fell, and he whirled her down the side of the ballroom.
‘I couldn’t care less. Drop your knickers for whichever Star or lord you wish.’
He continued to spin and spin her, the two orbiting the same corner of the woodland room.
‘I may not have your gift, but I’m not an idiot. I can tell when someone’s lying.’
Enzo stilled, finally. ‘Come here,’ he growled, yanking her off the dancefloor. She stumbled after him, almost tripping on her gown.
‘You know what?’ she hissed into his ear as he tugged her along. ‘Far be it from me to complain when a gentleman wants to dance with me or a Star tells me I look beautiful, since no one else bothered.’ She cut him with her stare. ‘Far be it from me to feel normal for one moment instead of being a pawn in a kingdom’s games. Never a woman, just a weapon. ’
‘Will you just be quiet for one Stars-damned second?’
He pulled her down the corridor to the silver carriages lining each side of the grand hall. The carriages were adorned in glitterbugs and firelamps. Most had the silhouette of couples inside.
Enzo yanked her into an empty one, slamming the door as she tripped, tumbling on to him in the velvet-lined interior. Her legs were wrapped around him as he clutched her to break her fall. Elara looked to their position on the floor, both her and Enzo’s masks having slipped. She smiled, removing hers as he pulled his off in one motion, and was ready to make an inappropriate joke about the way she was straddling him—
‘Adrian’s right,’ he said, looking at her, his hands resting on her waist.
Her smile faltered. ‘What?’
‘You are the most beautiful woman here.’
They stared at each other, Elara painfully aware of his hands gripping her body. How had she never noticed before how large his hands were against her? Her exposed neck was inches from his mouth, and she saw his eyes drag to it. Neither moved until Enzo broke the silence.
‘You’re the most beautiful woman anywhere. But that wasn’t enough to say. To tell you that you look beautiful seemed a lazy way to describe how you look.’
His eyes searched hers then he huffed a laugh.
‘So I didn’t want to tell you that you looked beautiful. I wanted to tell you—’ One of his hands raised to lift one of the thin straps of her gown back in place. ‘That you look like a fallen Star.’
Elara blushed as heat crept up her. He pulled his hand away from her neck, glancing down in surprise at the glittering substance coating her skin.
‘Sugardust,’ he murmured, so low that she felt it vibrate through her. Enzo locked his gaze on her as he brought his thumb to his lips and sucked the dust from it, his eyes never once leaving her face.
Heat pooled from her stomach to her core as she saw his tongue swirl. That hunger in his eyes made her want to lean forwards, to feel the sparks that radiated in his gaze. She found herself moving closer, every cell in her body was drawing her to him. He leaned towards her, too, his hands tight on her waist, the press of his body hard against her. But he was shaking, tension bracketing his body, his jaw clenched.
‘What’s wrong?’ she whispered.
He shook his head, holding himself abnormally still.
Elara reached forwards, tentatively tracing a finger over his full lips.
‘Elara,’ he said roughly, as she dipped her mouth towards his, ‘if you kiss me now, I won’t stop.’
Torra’s wicked charm caressed her, giving her a jolt of confidence. Every worry left her head for one blissful moment as she allowed herself to drown in the charm’s certainty.
‘Then why fight it?’ she purred.
His eyes dragged to her lips, darkening. ‘Because, Elara, I may be a monster, but you make me want to be a saint.’
Something between a gasp and a sigh escaped Elara. ‘I don’t want you to be anything other than what you are,’ she whispered, and gently brushed her lips to his. He groaned into her mouth, the last bit of fight in him melting into her.
Hands wrapped in her hair, pulling her forwards as he deepened the kiss. She moaned as his tongue parted her lips, the taste of him smoky and warm, like bonfires and sweet honey. She pulled his waist to her, and he moaned against her. Her breath was panting as he trailed kisses down her neck, setting her pulse fluttering.
‘I’ve never been kissed like this,’ she breathed. With Lukas, it had always felt like going through the motions, perfunctory. With Enzo, it felt as though pure fire was coursing through her body at his touch.
‘Only a shade, remember, El,’ he murmured against her, and she was called back to his promise in her bedroom as he kissed her again. He ground his hips up into her, and she moaned louder. When he ripped his mouth off hers and studied her, his eyes were so dark only a thin ring of gold remained. He moved his gaze down to her heaving breasts then up to her mouth.
‘Stars, I’ve wanted to hear you moan for me,’ he rasped.
Elara’s breath was ragged as she reached for him again, drinking him in greedily. Enzo’s tongue trailed fire down her body, delving into the dip of her collarbone. Elara twisted her hands through his curls, arching her back in pleasure. His hand hitched up her skirts, skimming her thighs and she tipped her head back. She could die of this heat, this want.
His tongue trailed down her neck, her collarbone.
‘I know how much effort it took to get this ballgown on, princess, but I’m going to need it off, now.’
Elara nodded, making a needy, strangled sound as Enzo wet his lips, helping her turn so that he could undo the buttons and the tie at her waist.
When it slipped down, he pulled her back around to him until she was in his lap once more, and with a little ministration, freed her breasts from her corset.
‘Gods damn it.’ He palmed one, then the other, squeezing them, his rough thumbs brushing over the sensitive peaks. Elara swore. ‘The way these almost spill out of those little training blouses you wear drives me mad,’ he growled.
With a barely held back groan, he took one of her nipples into his mouth.
Elara shook, tightening her legs further around him as want and craving drowned her.
‘How do you think I feel when you strut around shirtless, sweat running down those perfect glamour muscles?’ she panted.
Enzo laughed before taking her nipple between his teeth. She cried out, feeling the small hurt replaced by a lap of his tongue.
‘You like it a bit rough, princess?’
‘Gods, yes,’ she breathed. She had to get the damned dress fully off, had to have him right then in the carriage.
As though reading her mind, his hands ran up and down the strings of her corset. ‘What did I tell you?’ he asked, voice low and delicious. ‘I’m so much better at undoing corsets than tying them up.’
With one hand, he began to work the stays, as the hand up her dress trailed to her hip.
His mouth drew back up to her lips, his tongue flicking hers. There was something desperate in his eyes as rough fingers brushed her underwear.
‘Yes,’ she breathed, pushing against him. ‘ Yes. ’
‘Elara,’ he moaned, as the other hand worked her restraints. ‘Tell me this is all for me.’ His finger hooked on to the band of her underwear, and he pulled at it, the friction of it against her core so unbearably delicious that her breath hitched. ‘Tell me you’re mine.’
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she opened her mouth to reply—
A jolt on the carriage and the yell of a drunkard made them both jump out of the reverie. Elara’s gaze shot to the door in panic, Torra’s charm clearing from her for a moment. She looked down to her and Enzo’s position, to his swollen lips, her exposed breasts, his heaving chest, and pushed herself off him.
‘I’m sorry,’ she stammered, yanking her corset back up. She righted it, then pulled her ballgown over it, scrambling for the gown’s buttons.
‘El,’ he said, pushing himself up off the floor. When he tried to help her she pulled away and fumbled with the latch of the carriage, swinging it open. Cool air greeted her, and she took a few paces away, until she had managed to put her dress back together properly and pull her mask back in place, though her corset now felt loose beneath.
When she turned, Enzo’s own mask was back on as well, his expression unreadable. The heady magick she had been sipping was gone, Enzo’s eyes bright again. She ignored her fluttering pulse, the want that still thrummed between her legs.
‘I need to find Sofia,’ she said, smoothing her skirts.
‘El, what happened in there—’
‘Was Torra’s charm,’ she replied. ‘I know, you don’t need to explain.’
He nodded tightly. ‘Exactly,’ he said, and something in Elara broke at the word, something she didn’t know had been whole to begin with.